Shoot it with an arrow, pull it out of the water onto the side of the boat.

Smack it repeatedly with an aluminum bat.

Ping, ping, ping.

Place it in a bucket to be weighed after in the day.

Ray fishing isn't new — one fishermen said it has been going on for about 20 years — but aquatic life activists are raising concerns about its nature, calling the methods "barbaric" and filled with "bloodlust."

The ray fishermen said their methods can look barbaric, but are done to protect themselves when fishing for a species they call "invasive" and a "detriment" to watermen.

The state hasn't taken a position on the issue as the fishing of rays isn't state or federally regulated.

"It is truly a horrendous way to die," said Stuart Chaifetz, investigator for SHARK, Showing Animals Kindness and Respect.

Chaifetz and activists from Fish Feel called on Gov. Larry Hogan to ban the practice of ray fishing, saying that the migratory species doesn't pose a real risk to watermen by eating oysters, calms and crabs from the bay.

Hogan, who announced late Monday afternoon that he has non-Hodgkins lymphoma, did not issue an immediate response to the request.

In a video shown by the activists at the Annapolis library on Monday — which they recorded undercover at a ray fishing tournament held June 13 in St. Mary's County — the bow fishing of the Cownose Rays looks horrific. The fish are beaten, thrown into a bucket and then weighed. Some of the dead rays are dumped back into the water.

Some of the video taken also shows pregnant rays giving birth, with some fishermen arguing that the baby's weight should count toward their score as the tournament was giving out cash prizes.

But Jerry Denton, who was running that tournament, said the fishing looks "barbaric" to those not familiar with the process.

The Mechanicsville resident said the rays are hit with the bat because their tail contains a barb with an infectious poison. Bludgeoning them, he said, protects the fishermen from being stung.

Bow fishing is a common practice, he said. Tournament organizers encourage the fishermen to keep the rays for use as crab bait or to eat.

He did admit that some people pour the dead rays back into the water.

But at the end of the day, fishing for the rays is a protection measure for watermen who make a living on the shellfish eaten by the winged fish.

"It is a dual combo sport," Denton said. "The watermen suffer big money out of their pockets."

While fisherman say the rays should be thinned out to protect the economy, scientific experts have cautioned against widespread culling of the cownose rays.

In a post titled "Cownose Rays: What Effect Are They Having?" the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wrote that a commercial fishery of the rays would have lasting impact on the species. Rays give birth to live young and have one pup a year, so recovery would take a long time.

Scientists currently are researching the impact that rays have as they migrate into the Chesapeake Bay. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office doesn't advocate for a commercial fishery, and instead floated the idea of protecting the smaller oysters that the rays eat as they can't eat the larger oysters, according to the post.

The release of the videos has at least sparked a discussion, with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources releasing a statement hours after the SHARK and Fish Feel press conference.

While the ray is migratory and doesn't make its home in the bay, DNR officials said they will look into potential actions in the future.

"There is currently very little scientific data available on the cownose ray population in the Chesapeake Bay and given this limited information, the Department of Natural Resources cannot put a management plan in place at the state level," said Kristen Peterson, DNR spokeswoman.

"However, DNR is currently working with the EPA and other bay states to pull together a workshop on the species and discuss possible management actions across the watershed in the future."

In the meantime, two more ray fishing events are planned this weekend.